Aircraft having retractable vortex generators

Abstract

A fixed-wing aircraft at least includes at least one vortex generator movable through an outer surface of the aircraft between a retracted state and a fully extended state by at least one electric motor, the at least one electric motor being exclusively adapted to actuate this at least one vortex generator, and including an electronic control unit adapted to control operation of the at least one electric motor for actuation of the at least one vortex generator.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A fixed-wing aircraft, at least comprising
 at least one vortex generator movable through an outer surface of the aircraft between a retracted state and a fully extended state by at least one electric motor, the at least one electric motor being exclusively adapted to actuate the at least one vortex generator, and comprising 
 an electronic control unit adapted to control operation of the at least one electric motor for actuation of the at least one vortex generator, 
 wherein the aircraft comprises multiple vortex generators on each wing, 
 wherein multiple propeller propulsion units are attached at each wing, sets of at least one vortex generator each are positioned on the wings behind at least two propellers, and the vortex generators of a set located in a given propeller slipstream are actuatable differently from sets located in different propeller slipstreams. 
 
     
     
       2. The aircraft according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one vortex generator out of the multiple vortex generators is individually actuatable. 
     
     
       3. The aircraft according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one set of at least two vortex generators, each out of these multiple vortex generators is actuatable in a similar manner. 
     
     
       4. The aircraft according to  claim 1 , wherein the vortex generators of one wing are actuatable independently from the vortex generators of the other wing. 
     
     
       5. The aircraft according to  claim 1 , wherein at least two vortex generators of one wing are actuatable independently from each other. 
     
     
       6. The aircraft according  claim 1 , wherein an alignment of at least one vortex generator of at least one set of vortex generators positioned behind a propeller is offset with respect to a flow direction of a propeller slipstream generated by the propeller in front. 
     
     
       7. The aircraft according to  claim 1 , comprising at least one set of at least one vortex generator each positioned on the wings next to the propellers, wherein the vortex generators of the sets are actuatable differently to the vortex generators of sets positioned behind the propellers. 
     
     
       8. The aircraft according to  claim 1 , comprising at least three propeller propulsion units per wing. 
     
     
       9. The aircraft according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuation of at least one vortex generator is dependent on at least one of the parameters out of the following group of parameters:
 a flight mode and/or a manoeuvre of the aircraft; 
 a velocity of the aircraft; 
 a roll angle and/or roll rate of the aircraft; 
 a sideslip angle of the aircraft; 
 an angle of attack of the aircraft; 
 a degree of deflection of a control surface; 
 a control command from a pilot or a flight computer. 
 
     
     
       10. The aircraft according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuation of at least one vortex generator is dependent on at least one operation parameter of at least one propulsion unit. 
     
     
       11. The aircraft according to  claim 10 , wherein the at least one operation parameter comprises at least one operation parameter out of the following group of operation parameters:
 a throttle setting; 
 a propeller rotation rate; 
 a propeller rotation direction; 
 a propeller blade pitch angle; 
 an input power supplied to a propulsion unit. 
 
     
     
       12. A method for operating a fixed-wing aircraft comprising at least one vortex generator movable through an outer surface of the aircraft between a retracted state and a fully extended state by at least one electric motor, the at least one electric motor being exclusively adapted to actuate the at least one vortex generator, and comprising an electronic control unit adapted to control operation of the at least one electric motor for actuation of the at least one vortex generator, wherein the aircraft comprises multiple vortex generators on each wing, wherein multiple propeller propulsion units are attached at each wing, sets of at least one vortex generator each are positioned on the wings behind at least two propellers, and the vortex generators of a set located in a given propeller slipstream are actuatable differently from sets located in different propeller slipstreams,
 wherein the multiple vortex generators are directly actuatable between a retracted state and a fully extended state by at least one electric motor, and 
 wherein the at least one electric motor is controlled exclusively for selective actuation of at least one of the multiple vortex generators. 
 
     
     
       13. A fixed-wing aircraft, at least comprising
 at least one vortex generator movable through an outer surface of the aircraft between a retracted state and a fully extended state by at least one electric motor, the at least one electric motor being exclusively adapted to actuate the at least one vortex generator, and comprising 
 an electronic control unit adapted to control operation of the at least one electric motor for actuation of the at least one vortex generator, 
 wherein an alignment of at least one vortex generator of at least one set of vortex generators positioned behind a propeller is offset with respect to a flow direction of a propeller slipstream generated by the propeller in front. 
 
     
     
       14. A fixed-wing aircraft, at least comprising
 at least one vortex generator movable through an outer surface of the aircraft between a retracted state and a fully extended state by at least one electric motor, the at least one electric motor being exclusively adapted to actuate the at least one vortex generator, and comprising 
 an electronic control unit adapted to control operation of the at least one electric motor for actuation of the at least one vortex generator, 
 wherein the actuation of at least one vortex generator is dependent on at least one operation parameter of at least one propulsion unit. 
 
     
     
       15. The aircraft according to  claim 14 , wherein the at least one operation parameter comprises at least one operation parameter out of the following group of operation parameters:
 a throttle setting; 
 a propeller rotation rate; 
 a propeller rotation direction; 
 a propeller blade pitch angle; 
 an input power supplied to a propulsion unit.